Gritty McDuff's Scottish Ale | Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company

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Notes / Commercial Description:
It takes a brave beer to stand up to a Maine winter. Gritty McDuff 's Scottish Ale is returns every January to help you weather the season. Scottish Style Ale is our interpretation of the robust brews native to Scotland. Generous quantities of Pale malt along with Munich and Caramalts give this ale a deep and complex profile. Scottish Style Ale is just a shade darker than our Bitter, with a rich, slightly sweet first impression on the palate that rounds out to a satisfying maltiness and a medium-dry hop finish. At 6.3% ABV it's hearty but not overwhelming. Sure to please the Braveheart in all of us.

Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. This beer pours an amber brown color with a creamy white head that goes away pretty quickly. There is no real lacing on this beer, just a small ring around the edge of the liquid. Also it has very good clarity. Smell is good, not great, but good. Actually when cool it really doesn't have much of a smell at all. After it warms up a bit the nose gets a bit stronger. It's big on the malts, very sweet, even a little rich. The taste is a step up. Again it's very malty, caramelized with a bit of a butterscotch flavor. It doesn't taste very hoppy, maybe a little bit of a citrus hop flavor, but it unquestionably targets your bitter taste buds. The mouthfeel is excellent. Creamy and smooth with a clean bitter finish. No carbonation bite at all. Full bodied and well balanced overall. This beer has good drinkability overall. I would certainly get it again if the opportunity arose. This beer won't blow you away, but it's pretty unique for this style.

Pours a clear burnished copper blending with woody brown. Tan head and a little lace. Aroma is sweet, fruity, with a nutty and buttery tones. Flavor follows with a lot of malt characteristics I can parse out, but again that slightly buttery taste/feel.

Everything seems middle of the road with this brew. While glad for a new brew if I ever make it to Gritty's I'll pass on this one.

Loved all of the previous offerings from this brewery... this one didn't really do it for me to be honest. Pours a nice cloudy red color, small head, minimal lacing. Medium body to it.. some caramel aroma notes. Taste is a bit watery and don't get a lot of the peat/smokey flavor or even that much caramel in the taste. When I get a scotch ale that's what I expect, but this one is a bit lacking. Good try GM, but I'll pass on this Scottish Ale in the future... not a bad beer overall though.

A very attractive brew, though not much head by the time it got to me, and no lacing. It was exceptionally clear, and the color was a beautiful amber/red.

Smell was more boozy than expected, but also apricot fruity, a little butterscotch, malty sweet with just the faintest hint of peat. It improved in depth and strength as it warmed.

Didn't really get the peatiness at all in the taste, and not as fruity either. Had a mild bitterness balancing the malty sweetness, with a bit of the butterscotch noted in the nose.

Medium full body, pleasantly creamy and rich, and it finished clean.

Very easy drinking, quite tasty, but not really quite having all of the elements of a top notch Scottish ale. Most notably, the smoky/peaty character associated with the style. A quality brew that I'll be happy to have again upon occasion.

12oz screw-top bottle purchased at Hannaford in Augusta, Maine.
pours a crystal clear copper liquid with a half inch of off white head that slowly dissipated. scents of chocolate, toffee, butter, and tree nuts (like brazil nuts). tastes of chocolate and toffee grace the tongue, with butter and tree nuts taking a backseat in the flavor. light, crisp taste with a clean finish. the first sip invites another. its quite a beer. one of the best i have had in a while.

This is only the second Scottish ale I've tried, the other being a little too strong in taste for me. Gritty's, however, was very drinkable. Paired this one with some bread and sharp cheddar cheese, which actually brought out a little bit of sweet malty flavor in the beer. Alcohol content isn't too noticeable, and it isn't as heavy as I expected, but still an enjoyably rich taste. Got me interested in trying some other Scottish ales.

A dark caramel color with a thick off-white head and great thick lacing. The aroma is a mild nutty grass hops and cider. The taste is smooth malt and sharp pine hops. A crisp but somewhat full mouth feel. It's a decent drinker for the style, doesn't seem too strong in alcohol. I pick up some sour apple and lemon, rye and peat. Very enjoyable, perhaps the best Gritty's I ever had. Be sure to try it!

A: Copper to orange, slightly mahogany color. Light eggshell colored head forms quickly and fades within the first 5 minutes after pour. Very slight lacing forms on the side of the glass.

S: Hops are up front with a slight caramel flavor hiding underneath. Hops are slightly spicy and slightly earthy. Biscuit nut smells become apparent as the warms lslightly.

T: Sweet biscuit earthy hops all up front. the flavor gives a little bitterness that hangs out with the caramel sweetness. Not a lot of hop flavor beyond the initial earthy/spicy initial notes. Fades intot he biscuityness and thats where it ends.

M: Medium to full body nice light amount of carbonations that fits well with this beer.

D: A little more alcoholic than I remember this being. Great starting beer, also great to keep you warmer int he winter months. I always give it a try when I comes out here in Maine around this time of year.

white fleeting fluffy head that renders sufficient lacing down the glass.

smell of caramel and buttery malts and subtle hops.

Taste is full and bigger than i expected for a Scottish. Lots of backbone with the nice sweat fruity and biscuity malts. Diaceytly is her and not in a bad way. Good blunt hop taste that mellows on the tongue.

A big beer that for me would start a session but I would move on after one.

Serving notes: Hefe glass, 45F
Aroma: Malty sweetness with a light earthy hops in the background. Hint of smokiness.
Appearance: Nice inch of head upon pour dark, clear amber in color. Nice effervescence of bubbles.
Mouthfeel: medium to full body, light carbonation. Slickness on the tongue.
Taste: Malty sweetness dominates across the pallet. Hops in the background but still provide a good balance.
Drinkability: A nice winter beer. I would definitely get this beer again.

Dark amber colored ale with a rapidly fading head.Aroma is buttery caramel.Taste is caramel or perhaps butterscotch.This is something I could see myself buying again.I would recommend to my buddies.Nothing overly great but a pretty damn good drinkable ale!!

Just got this on the Holiday weekend, Pours dark amber nice head about 3/4 inch with lacing. Smell of Carmel and a little hops.It has a very Nice Taste and flavor. Feels very refreshing in your mouth and is easy to drink and one leads to another. This is a very nice Scottish Style Ale and I will revisit again for sure wish it was a little easier to get but a good taste and good price!

Glazed terra cotta with bright tangerine trim. The upper third of the glass contains a thick slice of pastel orange-gold foam that has a great deal of character. The upper surface is absolutely loaded with sticky bubbles, while broken blankets of BB-shot Belgian lace look beautiful as well.

Although there's nothing much wrong with the nose, it isn't exactly classic for the style. It smells like butter caramel... and not much else. A little cocoa or medium-dark fruitiness or peat or smoke would be nice. Perhaps the aroma will come alive with warming.

Gritty McDuff's Scottish Ale is a decent Scottish ale, but it doesn't rock my world. At least it tastes authentic, even if it isn't likely to put a scare into the world's best versions. It tastes like it's missing something, but I can't zero in on what that might be.

This is one of those styles that, in my considered opinion, is allowed to contain a moderate amount of diacetyl (which this one does) and still be good. As in the aroma, butter caramel describes the flavor profile best. There's also some mushy apple fruitiness, along with an herbal hop accent on the finish. For those who care, the hops are Northern Brewer and Yakima Goldings. 25 IBUs.

Sweet, bitter and tangy all take the lead at various points, achieving a complementary balance in the end. Warming amplifies the flavors that are already present (especially overripe apples), without changing things to any significant extent.

Keeping in mind that this isn't a wee heavy, it's still a bit light. There's nothing wrong with the mouthfeel, it just isn't worthy of the next highest score. Having said that, it doesn't stand in the way of rapid consumption if you're thirsty.

Scottish Ale is my fourth Gritty McDuff's beer and is my fourth solid Gritty McDuff's beer. This brewery isn't likely to be anyone's all-time favorite (apologies if it is), but I'd love to live within their distribution area. Thanks to fo5s for the bomber.

Pours a dark amber, fizzy head comes up and falls quick. Smell is malty sweetness. Maple, caramel, light spice and floral presence. Good taste. Sweet up front but an excellent doughy, bready profile that comes soon after. It has a light nutty aspect to it as well. Smooth medium mouthfeel that is lightly creamy and well rounded, tiny bit of dryness in the finish. I'd take a couple more if I had them, that's for sure.

This beer pours a dark amber color with a short and medium bodied tan head that sticks around and laces the glass on the way down. The aroma is of sweet malts, some nice hoppy bitter aromas, and then some scotch in there as well. The taste is of very nice sweet roasted malts, some scotch flavoring, and then a nice bitter hit at the end from the hops. The mouthfeel is smooth and kind of refreshing making it a drinkable beer. I was hoping for something a little less bitter, more scotchy, and smoother feeling.

Pours a dark amber color with slight head that is bubbly, fluffy and hangs to the sides of the glass.

Smells of roasty sweet malts with slight creaminess. Not a lot of hop presence obviously. I also get faint whiffs of cinnamon but not sure where that is coming from. All in all, its a rich smelling beer that is inviting on a cool/cold night.

Taste initially reminds me of sweet tea, some dark fruit with the bitter finish of the hops as the label says. Its a solid beer that is for sure. One thing that I would love is if it had that hint of peat smoke to it.

Poured a dark amber into the pint glass. Short head formed and quickly receded-no lacing is evident. Smells mainly of biscuit malt. Tastes of bread with some hops and mild fruity flavor. Medium mouthfeel and relatively easy to drink. I like this better than most scottish ales I have tried, but is not one of my favorites from this brewery.